Day 242

So I'm finally hauling myself over here to catch up with everyone! My last post was more of a "I promise I'm still alive" than an actual post, so I'm here for a long overdue real post.

Things have been going pretty well, especially considering I've been taking a vacation from my pills and thus have had more appetite than usual. I had a few days where I definitely overate, and had to rein things back in big time. But I got back to counting calories towards the end of last week, so that's been helping a lot.

Alas, as a result of my slacking in the eating department, my weight has kind of plateaued at 196. But I'm determined to go down another 20lbs by the time Lindsey and I leave for London at the end of August, so I've got to get serious! I'm going to have the house to myself next week - Mom is in Arizona until the end of June and Dad is going to visit her for a week starting tomorrow, so I'm going to have to be extra on top of it with my eating.

Exercise has been pretty hard, too. Daycare wears me out, which is part of it, but the other problem is that because my hours are always different, it's very hard to get myself into a routine. Maybe I'll start taking walks in the evening, as the weather usually gets pretty bearable after the sun starts going down. The toe should be ready to go back into a shoe (again) very soon, so hopefully I can make that happen.

It's a little scary being off my pills, as those feelings of being out of control of my eating have been coming back with a vengeance. But counting calories has really helped my feel like I have power over it. It's definitely a whole different thing without chemical assistance, and something I need to get used to and overcome. So I think this is good for me.

And now for the food pictures! I had a preview in my last post, though it wasn't the best quality. These might be a little better, though they were all taken with my phone. We had the following one night last week...

Sauteed Asparagus with Gorgonzola (SOOO yummy!)

Creamy Cauliflower Purée (aka Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes...also so so yummy!)

Roasted Red Snapper Fillet (also incredibly yummy!)

Yep, that whole dinner was a total win! Everything in it was so good...I wish I could make it every night!

Another night last week we had something else pretty tasty...

Coconut Chicken Salad with Warm Honey Vinaigrette

I love SkinnyTaste! This was also perfectly delicious. I LOVE coconut so this was perfect for me! Will definitely make it again.

So I'm on my own next week, but I plan to get busy and do some cooking. And exercise. Lord knows my room and bathroom could use a good scrub down! Luckily I'm working mostly afternoons this week at the daycare, which will give me some extra time to get things organized. Gotta keep on keepin' on! Wish me luck!

Day 189

Dead dead dead tired. I've been working like a dog on website projects, as it's probably one of the few times I'll have a chance until finals are over, and for some reason it's totally drained me...probably all the staring at the computer. Once I finish posting I'm closing this puppy up for the night!

But despite my lack of energy, I did make a delicious, scrumptious, crispy-cheesy-moist-flavorful-yet-healthy dinner! Tonight it was Chicken Rollatini, not too difficult to make and the results were awesome. Take a look...

I know it looks really breaded, but most of it is actually grated parmesan cheese. And you can't really see, but it's stuffed with spinach and ricotta. So good! It was a nice, filling pick me up after a long and trying day (week, really!) Plus it used up my leftover ingredients from the chicken nuggets, so it was all around perfect.

So tomorrow is my very last class as an undergraduate! Then the fun of finals can begin!

Anyways, catch you guys tomorrow for the weigh-in. I'm feeling pretty positive about it!

Day 166

So I finally dragged my lazy butt over here to post! I don't know what's been up with me the last couple of days...I haven't been as motivated for some reason. I fell of the wagon a little this weekend and made a dessert. I don't know why I did it. Part of it was because I was home alone (Karlee went home for the weekend) and bored, I guess, and I hadn't had my pills so I was especially powerless against the munchies. But I wasn't sad or otherwise emotionally compromised...my dad was in Athens and we had just had a nice visit.

Going back and analyzing everything, I think a lot of why I caved to the need for chocolate was because I just got wrapped up in the "It's the weekend, I've got the place to myself, I don't have homework, so I'm just going to hang out in my PJs and play computer games and enjoy our weekend sample of Starz" thing. I also think that maybe I was a little lonely, having spent the past few weekends with friends and the fam...so maybe it was a little shock to my system to be left on my lonesome with Gus.

Whatever the reason, I decided I wanted chocolate, and I had a deadly combination of ingredients in my pantry: flour, eggs, sugar, butter, and cocoa. All you need for a wickedly delicious fudge-y pie/cake.

The good news is that I halved the recipe. Then, upon regaining my senses a little bit, I served myself a sensibly sized slice and dumped the rest in the trash before I had the chance to eat it. So that, at least, was a triumph.

I guess it just goes to show that one is never cured of food addiction. Luckily, I didn't "get drunk"or go on a binge. I think I've definitely learned how to have more control over my eating. But it still felt pretty bad, after I had done it, like I had committed a major diet crime.

So I had to talk myself through it and reassure myself that I had merely stumbled, not fallen. One slice of chocolate pie/cake was not going to ruin me! The important thing was that I threw it away and snapped back to good habits the next day.

I didn't want to talk about it on the blog, though. But I knew from the get-go that it was important that I share my boo-boo with everyone rather than pretend it didn't happen. Posting about it has made me realize that, in the grand scheme of things, one bad weekend will not ruin me. Bad days will come. As long as I can let those bad days go and move on with getting healthy, we're good! But I'm glad I'm putting it out there, instead of letting it simmer on my conscience for the next two weeks. The shame and the sneaky mindset I often have towards eating is what fuels a lot of my problems, so I'm determined to nix it!

So I got back on track today by getting out for my walk. It was a beautiful, if a little chilly, day, and I savored it, knowing that it will probably be the last day below 80 until October. I also cooked yesterday and today, and made some super yummy meals! I've enjoyed recipes from Steamy Kitchen for the past couple of days. Monday I made Chicken Sausage with Apple Slaw, which was great! I bought Trader Joe's Andouille chicken sausage, which was spicy and delicious. Here's a picture:

Then tonight I made Chicken Caprese, with a simple greens and avocado salad on the side. Yum!

We're getting back on track. One step at a time. I weighed in last Friday and was only down .2 pounds, and I'm not hopeful for this Friday, considering that this week will mainly be damage control. But I'll get it together! Forward ho!

BTW, does anyone on here use Twitter? It's something I've been meaning to figure out for a long time, and I thought it might be a useful supplement to the blog. Thoughts?

Day 124

Pretty decent day today! I think that, even though I haven't felt the hugest difference in my clothes, I'm really starting to feel the effects of weighing less in other ways. I don't know how to describe it, but I just have more oomph. I feel strong and determined and ready to persevere! As I creep closer to turning that first digit on the scale from a 2 to a 1, I find myself feeling healthier, happier, and more optimistic with every day that passes.

For example, I did 30 minutes of ab workout today, and instead of skipping the parts that were hard, I actually pushed myself and tried to keep up with everything they did in the video. From that, I discovered that I'm actually a lot stronger than I think I am. I can do planks, though when I saw them for the first time I figured I wouldn't be able to do them. I can also do most of the lying-down ab exercises they do in the video...there's just one or two that I can't keep up with. So that was fun to discover! I'm sure I'll be sore all over in the morning, but it will be totally worth it.

For dinner tonight I kept with my international theme and made some tasty yet healthy Sweet and Sour Chicken:

The sauce wasn't as gummy and syrupy as the stuff you get in the restaurant, and of course, the chicken wasn't breaded and fried. It was really very good, and filling too! I think next time I might add some more vegetables, maybe edamame or something. The snow peas were good, but I'm not the biggeset fan of sweet peppers. Note: don't panic...that's not a tiny octopus in there - it's the bottom of a scallion! 

So I made it through another day! Still feeling good. You guys are awesome! Thanks for sticking with me!

Day 118

Lemme just talk to you guys about the EPIC dinner I made tonight. Seriously, my back is aching from standing up for so long in the kitchen. I started this meal exactly at 5:00 this evening and didn't sit down to eat until 7:45! And I was working almost the entire time. It was a rather labor-intensive meal, which I didn't really anticipate.

I had to make mashed potatoes and dough for the roti, then chop up chicken, onions, garlic, peppers, green beans, you name it. And of course, as with anytime I elect to make a challenging meal, I had to endure several giant fails along the way.

First I decided to make the mashed potatoes with my hand blender, which quickly and efficiently rendered them into glue. GLUE, I tell you. No matter how much I banged the spoon on the bowl, the potatoes would NOT come off. It took me several minutes to clean all the potato off the hand blender. Two words on that one: never again! When in doubt, use the food processor!

So then, even though I thought I had followed the the roti dough recipe perfectly, it was really dry and crumbly and I couldn't figure out what I'd done wrong, so I kept adding water and oil until it came together. I just rechecked the recipe now to find out I only added 2 tbsp of water to begin with, entirely missing the part where it said one 1/2 cup PLUS 2 tbsp. Sigh. Now I see the problem. Luckily, the roti turned out okay, but it was a little thick. Kind of like biscuits. I'll have to try again another time.

Happily, the chicken turned out perfectly...tender and flavorful and all that jazz. There were supposed to be potatoes in the chicken/green bean blend as well, but I chose to leave them out since I used mashed potatoes in the bread. Didn't want to overpotato!

Sadly, by the time I actually sat down to eat it, I was so exhausted I couldn't really appreciate it very much. It was a good meal, but not worth all that trouble! I do want to try making more Indian food soon though...I absolutely love all those awesome spices and flavors. But this was definitely not a weeknight meal. Thankfully I did all my homework before I started. There's no way I would have been happy about sitting down to do it now!

Phew. So anyways, here is what I made: Roti Chicken from Kayotic Kitchen

Doesn't really look like much, does it? Not enough to merit almost 3 hours of prep and cooking! Sigh. I've got to work on my speed.

But I did get my walk in today and got through Day #3 of no soda! It hasn't been bad so far. I actually like the sparkling water. I think I'm going to try to make some iced tea one of these days too.

All right. I'm pooped. Good night all! Peace and blessins!

Day 116

I'm going to make this kind of brief, as I'm exhausted and the head hurts and I need my beauty sleep. BUT, some good news first - the scale finally went down!!

I jumped on it tonight before my shower, just for a looksy, and lo and behold, I was down to 213.6! And at night, too! I don't really know what to make of this...losing almost four pounds in three days. Only thing I can think is that I was retaining water for some strange, unknown reason. But I'm not complaining! I hope it's not just a fluke. I rechecked it three times to make sure it was accurate, but who knows? Anyways, it was really nice to see some friendly numbers on the scale after two weeks of not so friendly numbers. Hopefully this will continue!

One thing I've decided to try doing is giving up soda. I drink a LOT of it. I always get diet, so I tell myself it's okay, but I know it's bad for me. And I've heard that it can actually make it harder to lose weight. So I'm going to try and nix it. Water is always better, but if I have soda in the house, I will always grab that first. So I got some flavored sparkling water to wean myself off, and it hasn't been bad so far! Hopefully I won't miss it too much...I've been using it to satisfy my sweet tooth at times, so I'm going to have to think of new strategies.

Also, I went for my walk today! It was an absolutely beautiful day, and I enjoyed myself thoroughly.

Here's what I had for dinner, Chicken Bacon Bites and Creamed Spinach. I switched with Tuesday because I don't trust the salmon at Wal-mart and didn't feel like dragging myself to Kroger just for salmon.

I know, I know. There I go again with the bacon. But between the two pieces of chicken up there, there was only one slice of bacon, so I don't feel too bad. Moderation! Sadly, the spinach didn't turn out quite how I intended. I'm not sure what I did to it, but it was a little too salty, and I'm really sensitive to salt. Sigh. I'll try to get it right next time! But the chicken bacon bites were pretty much amazing. The glaze you put on them is delicious...usually I have to put sauce on my chicken, but this didn't need it at all. SO good.

So I'm going to go crash now. Love you all! Thanks for all the sweet comments! You guys are so great at keeping my spirits up.

Day Fifty-Three

Hi guys! Sorry I disappeared! I got a little swallowed by finals week, and I totally missed the fifty-day mark! Things have been going well though...I lost another 3 pounds! I've been slacking off on exercise, though. I only walked twice last week - lazy lazy lazy! I did 30 minutes of DDR today so I can start the week off right. I have a feeling I'll be doing a lot of DDR this week if the weather continues to be as cold as it's been.

I've also been baking some yummy things while at home! The other night I made Kalyn's Baked Chicken Stuffed with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto, Basil, and Goat Cheese which was delicious! Daddy's been scarfing up on it. Here's a picture:

We also made Grilled Spicy Tuna, though I can't take any credit, since Mom did the marinade and Dad grilled it up. It turned out really delicious...tuna is the one kind of fish I actually like. I guess it's the texture - less fishy and more steak-like. It was really good with some sauteed spinach!

I did okay with the cookies at the cookie bake...I had a few but didn't go overboard. I'm feeling pretty confident that I can make it through Christmas without totally going off track. In fact, the longer I keep at this, the more sure I am that I have the ability to stick with it for the long haul. Not every day is a good day, but as long as I get back on track the day after everything seems to work out fine. My goal over Christmas is to maintain, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to keep up the healthy eating for the most part.

I don't have my calorie count together today, but I'll start back with that tomorrow. Thanks everyone, I love you guys!

Day Forty-Five

So I finally have food pictures! I got to the grocery store and so I finally got some cooking done. I'm also getting schoolwork done piece by piece. Finished the Shakespeare revision, so now I'm onto the Colonial Lit revision!

Here's what I had for dinner yesterday:

Garbanzo bean soup and Swedish meatballs! Both from Kalyn's Kitchen. It was yummy, but I think I did something wrong with the soup, because it was more like hummus...really thick. But the meatballs turned out great! I used lean everything and put a little cinnamon in which added a nice little something.

Tonight I had baked pesto chicken (also from Kalyn's Kitchen) with asparagus. It was really good, even though I used pesto out of a jar and defrosted the chicken in the microwave. :) But it was so easy to do! You just cover the bottom of the pan with pesto, slap the chicken down, cover the chicken with pesto, and throw it in the oven. Then sprinkle a little mozzerella, broil, and you're done! I'll definitely be able to keep that one memorized.

Only thing is, as you can see below, I made way too much. Guess I'm going to have to bring the leftovers home with me! Or make chicken salad.

Oh yeah! I weighed this morning and I'm down another pound. I didn't do as well with exercise this week as I could have, so I'm going to have to get back on track next week. It's harder to get out now that it's getting colder, but I just have to make myself!

Here's today's food:

Breakfast

Spinach and goat cheese omelette - 226

Veggie sausage links - 80

Coffee - 60

Lunch

Leftover meatballs - 265

Sweet potato fries - 182

Dinner
Baked pesto chicken - 189
Lemon Asparagus - 25

Snacks
1 snow cream stick - 45
2 tbsp fat free whipped cream - 25

Total: 1097 (That's nuts, I felt like I ate a ton today!)

You guys are the coolest! Love y'all!

Day Fourteen

Wow! We're one day away from the two week mark, and the end of phase one! It feels like it's gone by so fast. And I'm still going strong! Everyone's encouragement has helped so much.

I also got some exercise today! I walked from biology back to my car like I've been meaning to do for two weeks now! I think I'm going to start doing it regularly now, because it's practically built in to my day. It only takes twenty minutes, so it's not as long as it could be, but there are plenty of hills and it gets my heart rate up. I do need to get some shoes with better support though, because I did it in flip flops today and my calves were not happy.

I pretty much skipped lunch today, which wasn't good. I don't get home from class until 2:30 on Tuesday/Thursdays, and once I got home today I was a little panicked about my Bio test next week, so I came home and got studying...pretty much until dinner! But then, of course, I was starving by dinner. I managed not to overeat, though. And then I made a delicious chicken breast (recipe here) which had been marinating since last night. I grilled it on our George Foreman and it turned out great! I'm going to have to start using the George Foreman more...I usually don't like plain chicken breast much, since it usually turns out dry, but this was so good and moist all grilled up! Here's a picture:

It was so juicy, I didn't even need to put sauce on it! YUM!

Here's everything else I ate today:

Breakfast

Breakfast cup: 160

Morningstar Veggie Sausage: 160

Coffee w/ creamer - 60

Lunch

Eh...nada

Dinner

Mustard, lemon, and coriander chicken breast - 220

Peas and carrots - 40

Snacks

1 tablespoon peanut butter - 100

1/4 cup cottage cheese - 58

Total: 798

Yikes...a little low. Gotta keep up with those meals!

Thanks everyone! And keep commenting, it helps so much!!

Day Five

Wow, it's almost been a full week! Doesn't seem like it's been that long. Everything has been going pretty smoothly today...Karlee and I didn't get around to our walk, since it was 82 in Athens today and we just couldn't bring ourselves get out and get all sweaty. Plus she has a bad cold and wasn't really in the mood. So I danced it out again for about 25 minutes while I was waiting for  the chicken and eggplant casserole to cook (yes! I finally made it! But more about that later) and it felt great! Luckily Karlee was at chapter so she wasn't around to witness my total lack of rhythm.

I failed to walk to or from Biology today like I intended to. :( Again, I blame the heat. Plus it's kind of a haul. With lots of hills. But I'm going to keep working on it! I'm determined to do at least one week where I don't ride the bus before the semester is over.

Morale is still high, though. I had a fair amount of munchie feeling today (and even started eyeing Karlee's Butterfingers dangerously) but resisted without too much trouble. Like I mentioned, it really helps to be in class for the first half of the day, because I don't think about food at all until I'm actually hungry. I need to find a better take-along snack for Tuesdays and Thursdays when I'm on campus until 2. Today I brought Slim Jims (a suggestion I found for low carb snacks on some website), but they're really greasy and don't make me feel good afterwards like the other stuff I've been eating. So I've got to do away with those.

As for the chicken and eggplant casserole...FAIL. Not that I didn't make it right - it was really quite pretty and smelled good. But I just didn't like it. Too many mushy things. I have a food texture issue, lol. I even put myself through chopping up an onion (my eyes were burning and I had tears streaming down my face pretty much instantly) and it just wasn't that good. Now I have a whole casserole dish of food I probably won't eat. Sigh. I hate wasting food. Another one of my eating problems :) But at least I learned that I don't mind eggplant too much! Here are some pictures...

Also, a random observation: with carbs (mostly) out of my life, I find myself using the fridge much more often than the pantry. Hmmmm.

So this was the menu for today:

Breakfast
Multigrain Cheerios (don't judge me!) - 110
Non-fat Greek yogurt w/ blueberries - 140 (I'm addicted to this stuff. So good!)

Lunch
2 slices of turkey - 50
10 turkey pepperoni - 41
A sprinkling of cheddar cheese - 40
Raw broccoli  - 30

Dinner
Few bites of chicken and eggplant casserole - approx. 50
Non-fat Greek yogurt w/ honey  - 140 (Told you. Addicted.)

Snacks
Sugar-free Brown Cow Jr - 80 (I only had one today!)
Handful of almonds - 70
Light string cheese - 50
2 Slim Jims - 80

Total: 881

Yikes. That doesn't seem like enough. But I'm not hungry...trust me, I'm not one to starve myself. Maybe I'll have some V8 juice before bed, just so my stomach doesn't start growling in the middle of the night! :)

Now I'm going to get all cozy in bed to watch Glee before I have to go to sleep. Thanks again, guys, I love all of you!